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Critical Debates (ENGL20035)

Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

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Semester 2
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This subject will stage decisive debates in contemporary literary theory. Key figures examined may include Fred Moten, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Saidiya Hartman, Frantz Fanon, Judith Butler, and Alain Badiou, among others. The particular debates will allow us to situate contemporary critical practice in relation to its long history and to new developments in black studies, media theory, critical climate studies, decolonial thought and radical feminism.

Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate a detailed understanding of critical debates that have set the direction and tone for literary discourse today
  • Demonstrate a general understanding of the concepts and principles from cognate disciplines like the history of philosophy, political theory and media theory
  • Apply an independent approach to knowledge that uses rigorous methods of inquiry and appropriate methodologies that are applied with intellectual honesty and a respect for ethical values
  • Articulate the relationship between diverse forms of knowledge and the social, historical and cultural contexts that produced them
  • Communicate effectively in a variety of oral and written formats
  • Act as informed and critically discriminating participants within the community of scholars
  • Work with independence, self- reflection and creativity.

Generic skills

Students who successfully complete this subject should:

  • Be able to develop and apply research skills and critical methods to a field of inquiry
  • Be able to develop persuasive arguments on a given topic
  • Be able to communicate oral and written arguments and ideas effectively and articulately.

Last updated: 8 November 2024